29% of Americans say religion ‘out of date’ | Raw Story
Only 78% of Americans now identify as Christian, while 22% describe their religious preference as either "other" or "none."
acceptance of fairy tales is starting to fade more and more each day
29% huh??
About the number of hard-core Liberals on record.
This is nothing new. I thought it would be 30%. Maybe the number that think this way is slowly going down.
Don't be silly. I've known (politically) conservative atheists and liberal Christians.
One thing I really miss about my ex-hospital is the Chaplain service.
Our Chaplain was fantastic and never overstepped his bounds. Although he was a devout Baptist, he was sensitive to the spiritual needs of all the patients he encountered, regardless of their beliefs. I called on him often and he never once refused to help or act as though it was an imposition on him.
He would come at all hours of the day or night. And it wasn't always for religious reasons, either. One night he spent almost 6 hours counseling an 18 year old girl who's mom had died unexpectedly without any arrangements... the girl was her next-of-kin and there was no one else available; she was simply overwhelmed, unable to make any decisions regarding her mom's disposition. He stayed with her, helping her work through the process, finally finding an aunt out of state to assist this girl. He wasn't there as a chaplain for her, but as someone to help her through the most horrible time in her young life.
Once I had a patient who was actively dying, and I knew she was going to go that night. I called our Chaplain for assistance; the patient and her family were Buddhists, and he came in in the middle of the night and helped them through the rituals of their faith. He told me later that he'd never had the chance to assist a person of that belief, and thanked me for calling him in and giving him the opportunity to experience that; I was so impressed.
He made it clear he was there for everyone. Patients and staff...
Every day, he would come to each of us and ask if there were any patients or family members in need. And he always followed through.
I often worried about him "burning out", but he had such a sense of calm and peace about him. Truly amazing man. I miss working with him. It wasn't until I left there and worked in other hospitals that I came to realize just how unusual he and his service were.
Spirituality, no matter how it's expressed, is a basic human need. I get rather aggravated at those who belittle others, whether it's those of a particular religion mocking others' faith or atheists mocking those of
any faith. I believe what I believe; I'm certainly not going to presume to tell someone else their religious beliefs are "wrong" or they will suffer eternal consequences if they do not choose to believe as I do.
